UNB, Panchagarh – Farmers of the district may not achieve the production target of boro this season due to frequent load shedding and erratic power supply. Many farmers could not transplant boro seedlings on their land as they failed to irrigate their land due to acute power crisis. They said many of their cultivated lands have dried up and developed cracks for the same reason. The situation aggravated in Sadar, Atowari, Debiganj and Boda upazilas as farmers of those upazilas are getting electricity for only 4 to 5 hours in a day.
Local Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said if the situation continues, farmers may not achieve the production target of boro this season. Thakurgaon Palli Bidyut Samiti, Panchagarh Zone, said there is a demand of 19 megawatt of electricity for running the deep and shallow tube wells under the zone daily but they are getting only 4 to 5 mw. Deputy General Manager of Rural Electrification Board (REB) Shah M Razzakur Rahman said they could operate only one feeder at a time with the electricity supplied from the Thakurgaon power house. Agriculture Department said a target has been set to bring 43,380 hectares of land under boro cultivation this season with an output target of 1.96 lakh mts. Deputy Director of local DAE Abul Kalam Mandal also expressed his apprehension that the production may hamper adversely this season due to the acute power crisis.